Blasting and dynamiting



Sept 18, l934 E. KARoLLus 1,974,281

BLASTING AND DYNAMITING Filed Nov. 2. 1932 gMl/ND fQRouJ/S VSi) Patented Sept. 18,

STATES PATENT orifice The present invention relates to blasting and dynamiting operations.

For many years, in blasting and dynamiting operations it has been customary, afterl prepar- G ing a bore of suitable depth, position and dimension in the ground or in the material to be blasted, to place a plurality of elongated cylindrical i 'ting cartridges therein in such a manner that their ends will contact and they will form a substantially solid column of explosive material. This column of explosive material willextend from. the bottom of the bore over the entire area to be' blasted. An explosive blasting cap or cartridge is usually inserted in the uppermost stick of explosive or` dynamite material. From this cartridge wires or a fuse cord are extended to the top of the bore, so that it is possible to ignite and explode the dynamite column by either lighting the fuse or by electrical means upon the surface. After the explosive cartridge has been placed in position, earth or other solid material is at rst loosely placed in position for a substantial distance above the uppermost cartridge and then the remaining portion of the bore to substantially the surfaceis compactly lled with earth or other material.

In this blasting or dynamiting operation just described, it has always been customary to attempt to decrease the air spaces in the bore as much as possible. vThe dynamite or explosive cylinders desirably ll the hole or bore as closely as possible. It has also been thought necessary to have the dynamite or explosive sticks or cylinders closely contact each other as otherwise it appeared that the explosion would not take place in the desired manner and that there was a possibility that some of the sticks would not be ignited. The method just described, however, required the utilization of a relatively large quantityl of the blasting material without appearing to fully utilize the 'blasting emciency thereof. Furthermore, insteadof merely heaving the surrounding soil or mineral and breaking it up into relatively large particles or lumps, ythere was a pronounced shattering effect with the production of an excessive amount of ilnes.

An object of the present invention is to carry out and/or perform the blasting and dynamiting operation in such a manner as to permit of considerable economy in the utilization of explosive or dynamite material and at the same time secure a. rupture or breaking up of the soil andv other material into relatively large lumps of desired size, without the production of an excessive amount of nes and without undue shattering.

Other objects will appear during the course of the following specication.

It has be'en found that if the height of the e'xplosive column, instead of being substantially compactly filled with an explosive material, be in part made up of inert solid materials, there is no substantial loss in the blasting efciency and, at the same time, the operation results in the production of a broken up material of particularly desirable qualities. These inert materials or 66 spacing materials which may be utilized to make up the height of the explosive column should preferably be of non-metallic materials, and should preferably provide a substantial air space in re.- spect to the wall of the bore. These spacers, in. 70 addition, should be suitably constructed so as to assure that the explosive flame will be transmitted from one explosive cartridge to the next.

In one embodiment of the present invention it has been found desirable to provide wooden Il cylinders having a central bore or opening therein, which wooden cylinders are preferably of substantially less diameter than the bore diameter. It s to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be restricted to wooden cyl-r inders, as blocks of any other solid inert material may be utilized, said blocks, however, being of such a material as not to cause the production of sparks and danger of pre-ignition of the explosive material and also being of such construction as to assure transmission of the ignition ame from one explosive cartridge to the next.

In commercial practice it has been found mosty satisfactory to make the spacer blocks or cartridges of substantially the same height and di- ,00 ameter as the explosive cartridges. In forming the explosive column in the previously prepared hole or bore, most satisfactory explosive efciency has been obtained when the proportion of the height of the column occupied by the spacer blocks constitutes between 0.2 to .0.45 of the total of the height of the explosive column, with a. maximum eiciency being had when the spacer blocks average about 0.33 of the height of the total column. Preferably in all cases the spacer blocks should constitute substantially less than 0.5 and substantially more than 0.15 of the total explosive column.

When, asin the preferable commercial embodiment, the spacer blocks are substantially the same llength and shape as the explosive cartridges, it is two yexplosive cartridges. It has usually been found 'desirable yto increase they amount oi explosive material in the column adjacent the rbottom or the lower end of the bore or hole so that f if two explosive cartridges are to be placed in contact they are rpreferably located adjacent such v y bottom.

Upon the raccompanying drawing are shown 'diagrammatically several illustrativemethods oi carrying out the exploding operation of the fpresf ent invention. f f

' the drawing, Figs. '1, 2 and S 'showvdierent manners rof preparing anclor'ming the yblasting or explosive column. f

f n'rigs. 1,2 and 3 the noie @scorcio is suitably provided and positioned and is `made of slightly larger diameter'than theexplosive cartridges 'to beplaced therein. The explosivecartridges 11 andthe spacer 'blocks 12 are preferably both of generally cylindrical form and they are i desirably placed so las to closely contact with each other and form a substantially solid column.

One of the cartridges 11, for example the jup- "ipermost explosive cartridge, maybe provided with ra. blasting 01' explosive 'elementll'which is connected tothe wire or fuse 14, extending to the surface. f Above the uppermost cartridge the hole or boreis iilled with dirtor other materialy 15. f

f vItwill be ynoted in Figs.`l'2 and 3 that the column is'always made in such a way 'that there willy be an kexplosive cartridge lil at they top .andk bottomy ,thereofy and so thatif it isr necessary to place two explosive' cartridges in contact this is done at theibottom of the -column.l lIt will also bei f noted that in any case the explosive sticks' or z cylinders 1,1 are not rseparated' by morev than one spacerlZ.k f .f ff

yThe spacer blocks, as previouslyy stated, are de- {fsirabiy ofy cylindrical shape and are of Suchdiameter as to permit a' spacing 16 ythrough which the explosive ame may travel from one explosive cylinder 11 to the next. Since, however, the

space 16 may in some instances rlll with dirt or other loose material, another opening 17 is provided centrally through each spacer 12, which will remain open and assuretransmission of the ignition name between the explosive sticks or cylinders 11 past the spacer blocks 12.

In one commercial embodiment it has been found satisfactory to make the spacer blocks about 32 millimeters in diameter with-.a central opening of about '1 millimeters in diameter and of a height oi.' about 30 centimeters in length.

- However, the dimension of the spacer elements is usually varied in accordance with the size of the dynamite and explosive sticks and the size of the hole or bore which is to be prepared.

By constructing an explosive column in this manner there is .both a very marked saving in Vture and time necessary to exhaust and remove such undesired gases.

The present invention, in utilizing ,wooden spacer blocks substantially lling the width and diameter of the bore, has marked advantages over spacing the successive sticks or cylinders of explosive material with an air column or with containersof a iiuid such as water.

' a single spacer block is utilized toseparate any When they successive 'sticks or cylinders of dynamite yor explosive material are spaced by meansfot an open y y frame-work or trellis, as oi wood, there is a substantial air space much greater thanfthat needed to convey the ignition :dame from,onefexplosivey i cylinder tothe next. Asa result the gases resulting from the'explosion will expand into this relatively `wide open space and greatly ydecrease the 'eiliciency of the blasting operation. On the other hand, the provision'of spacer cylinders containing water and other; fluids, whichwill turny y 'into a vapor, are not altogether satisfactory, since these spacer vcylinders are'both expensiver and,

moreover, considerable energyofthe explosion is taken up whenvaporizing the water, without the ,steamy resulting contrihutingy substantially t ther blasting eiiciency. The utilization of Water coIl-y transmission yof the ame fromr one cartridge to the next.

:tainingfspacers also yhindersor obstructs the I As many changes could be made in the'above construction,and many apparently widely difierent embodimentsr oi?k this invention csouldk be ycie-f yvised withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is intended' that all matter contained in the above description or shown'in the accompanying y f drawing'shall be interpreted ais-illustrative and noty ina limiting sense.y ,y f f What is claimed is: 1. An explosive; column tween the explosive charges, said spacer elements having lai cross lsectional yarea, slightly less f f the cross sectional area of the explosive charges, f

substantialy expansion of the gases discharged upon ignition.Y

2. An explosive column for use in dynamiting or blasting operations, comprising a pluralityof charges of explosive material, substantially solid spacer elements of inert material disposed between the explosive charges, said spacer elements havingA a cross sectional area slightly less than the cross sectional area of the explosive charges, and provided with a passage for permitting the ignition flame -to pass from one charge to the' next, whereby an air space exists between charges suilicient to convey the ignition llame from one charge to the next but insuilicient to permit any substantial expansion of the gases discharged upon ignition.

3. An explosive column for use in dynamiting or blasting operations, comprising charges of explosive material, said charges having a cross sectional area substantially equal to the cross sectional area ofthe hole in which they are intended for use, substantially solid spacer elements of inert material disposed between the explosive charges, said spacer elements having a cross sectional are'a less than the cross sectional area of the explosive charges, whereby an air space exists between charges sufficient to convey the ignition flame from one charge to the next but-insuicient to permit any substantial expansion of the gases discharged upon ignition.

4. An explosive column for use in dynamiting or blasting operations, comprising a. plurality of charges of explosive material, substantially solid spacer elements of inert material disposed between the explosive charges, said spacer elements l 1'65' Ioruseindynamitingp v,or blasting operations, col'nprsh'igy a plurality of charges of explosive material, substantially solid f f. spacer elements of inert material 'f lml I tween the explosive charges, said spscer elements having a, cross sectional area slightly less than the cross sectional eres of the explosive charges, seid specer elements constituting approximately 0.33 of the height of the total height 'of the column.

'leo 

